Under The Weather
by IceQueenie
Summary: It's the first snow of the season in Magnolia. Kaera is abruptly awoken and dragged outside to play in the snow. Though she's not feeling well, she tries to hide it so she doesn't worry anyone. But when it becomes too much she faints and Laxus takes her home. With him upset about her breaking her promise will he leave her in another's care? Or will some hot chocolate make amends?


_**Under the Weather**_

 _Summary: It's the first snow of the season in Magnolia. Kaera is abruptly awoken and dragged outside to play in the snow. Though she's not feeling well, she tries to hide it so she doesn't worry anyone. But when it becomes too much she faints and Laxus takes her home. With him upset about her breaking her promise will he leave her in another's care? Or will some hot chocolate make amends? Laxus/OC_

 _A/N: Yay! A winter fanfic! Mashima-sensei owns Fairy Tail, but I own my OC Kaera Pendragon._

 _Kera/Kaera is my name in Japanese, and I_ _ **love**_ _(read 'obsess over') Laxus, so I like writing fics with him being with my OC who is more or less based off of me! But using my name in English is just too weird for me lol_

 _Kera also stars in "Darkness" written by 'The May Waters', who is my best friend! Go read it, seriously! She's an awesome author!_

…

I groaned and coughed a little as I woke up.

' _Ugh…it's really cold… I don't feel that great either…'_ I thought as I rolled over and snuggled deeper into my blankets.

"It's Sunday. I can sleep in a little longer…" I murmured.

Just as I was almost asleep again, my bedroom door slammed open.

"Hey, Kaera!" Natsu yelled as he burst into my room.

The pinkette with dark green eyes wore a black winter coat over a red sweater and white pants with black boots. His signature white scaly scarf was wrapped around his neck, and red gloves adorned his hands.

I jolted up in shock, as my other nakama came into my room seconds later.

"N-Natsu?!" I exclaimed.

"What the heck are you still doing in here?!" He asked.

"Aye!" Happy shouted.

The blue and white male exceed with black eyes wore a green Santa hat along with his signature green pack.

"Wh-What do you mean? It's my room…" I trailed off, coughing a bit.

"Yosh! You haven't seen it yet!" He said, leaning over my bed to yank open my curtains. "Look out the window!"

"Hey, Natsu! You can't just barge into other people's houses, much less a girl's room without knocking!" Lucy scolded.

The blonde writer with warm brown eyes wore a white trench coat over a blue sweater dress, black woolen tights and brown knee high boots. On her hands were blue mittens.

"I don't think common sense applies to Flame-Brain…" Gray muttered.

The navy bluenette with coal black eyes wore a navy blue coat, grey wool scarf, black pants and grey boots. On his hands were grey gloves.

"You'll get sued one day." Gajeel smirked.

The red eyed, long shaggy black haired guy with the many piercings wore a long black coat with many metal zippers over a black shirt, black pants and black boots. His black gloves were decorated with metal around the wrists.

"Like that would stop him…" Pantherlily sighed.

The black and white male exceed with black eyes wore a dark grey Santa hat and a sword strapped to his back.

"Moron…" Charla muttered.

The white female exceed with brown eyes wore a pretty dark pink and yellow dress with a dark pink Santa hat and a dark pink bow with a gold bell on her tail.

"Good morning, Kaera-san!" Wendy greeted.

The younger girl with long blue hair and cheery brown eyes wore a green hat with a fuzzy ball, light pink coat over a white shirt, pink and green patterned skirt, white thick tights and light pink boots. She wore green mittens on her hands.

"Good morning…" I sighed, "Why are you all here?"

I, of course, was still in my pajamas. A warm purple button up with black snowflakes and matching pants. I brushed my long, and I mean knee length long silver hair out of my sleepy golden eyes.

"It's snowing!" Natsu announced.

"Okay…" I muttered, rubbing my head. Then Natsu's words sank in and I was instantly awake. "What?! Really?! Snow?!"

I threw off my covers and crawled to the window, peering outside excitedly.

"Yeah, it's all covered in white outside." Lucy said.

"Kaera-san, let's go outside and play!" Wendy clapped her hands cheerfully.

"Huh…?" I hesitated.

"Hurry up and get ready already." Gajeel huffed, looking anywhere but me.

"Are you too shy to look at Kaera in her pajamas, Gajeel?" Erza asked in amusement.

The pretty red head had her long hair pulled into a pony tail and her dark brown eyes glittered in amusement. She wore a brown trench coat over a dark green woolen dress and dark brown thick leggings. Her ankle length boots were dark green and as were the leather gloves she wore.

"What?! Knock it off! She's got no sex appeal looking like she's just rolled out of bed!" Gajeel argued, turning red in the face. "It's a wonder why Laxus is dating her."

"That's not a nice thing to say to a girl, Gajeel…" Levy pouted.

The pixie like bluenette's hazel eyes were focused on Gajeel with a glare. She wore a yellow puffy coat over a yellow shirt and orange pants. Her boots were light brown and her mittens were orange.

"Yeah, it's not like she's doesn't have any sex appeal with these big honkers!" Cana giggled as she tackled me and lifted up my boobs.

The wavy haired brunette with dark blue eyes grinned mischievously. She wore a white coat over a white shirt that had black lace with pretty snow flake patterns over it, black pants and white boots. Her gloves were black with white patterns.

"HEY! LET GO, CANA!" I yelled in embarrassment.

"Yeah! Juvia thinks we can't say that Kaera isn't sexy at all!" Juvia said, trying to stick up for me despite the embarrassing discussion.

The blue eyed bluenette wore a blue hat with white faux fur and long blue coat with white faux fur, blue leggings and black boots. On her hands were black gloves.

I finally shoved Cana off of me. She tumbled off of my bed and landed in a heap on my floor, giggling uncontrollably.

"Who let her drink this early in the morning?!" I snapped, "Never mind that! Stop talking about my sex appeal! That's none of your guy's business!"

I coughed a bit, but tried to cover it up by glaring at everyone and moving so I was sitting with my legs dangling off my bed.

"Alright. Anyways, just hurry up and get ready." Gray said.

"It's not like you to look so rushed, Gray." I commented, having calmed down quickly.

Lucy smirked in amusement, "The whole way over here, he was having so much fun playing in the snow."

"I saw Gray-san skipping, too!" Wendy giggled.

"I thought he was doing some sort of two-step dance…" Gajeel muttered.

"I wish I could have seen that!" I laughed.

…

After shooing everyone out of mine and Laxus' house, I got dressed in a purple trench coat with black fur over my purple and black sweater dress and black leggings. I put on my knee length black boots with purple smoky swirl designs and my black leather gloves with purple fur. As soon as I was ready, I made my way to the guild.

"Good morning, love." Laxus greeted me when I walked into the guild and over to the bar.

Laxus was wearing a long sleeved purple button down, black slacks and grey boots. His black gloves lay on the counter next to his beer and his black scarf and signature long black coat with the white fur were draped on the back of his chair.

He sat at the bar along with the rest of our team: my brother Bixslow, and Evergreen and Freed. I looked around the rowdy guild. Master sat atop the bar, not too far away while the Strauss siblings were busy serving drinks and the like, and everyone else was partying as usual.

"Good morning, Laxus." I said, kissing him on the cheek. "Good morning Bixy, Ever, Freed!"

The three greeted me back cheerfully.

Laxus sighed, "Sorry, I told Flame-Brain and the rest you were still at home, sleeping." He said. "But those insensitive wild animals insisted on going to get you…"

"Who are you calling a wild animal, Thunder-Butt?!" Cana yelled.

"Well, we kind deserved that for barging into Kaera's room without even knocking…" Wendy said, "Sorry Kaera-san!"

"What?! Who the heck did that?!" Natsu exploded, "Knocking is a common courtesy!"

We all stared flatly at Natsu.

"Idiot…" Gajeel muttered.

"What was that Metal Brow?!" Natsu snapped.

"Anyways, the newspaper said this is the most snow we've had in Magnolia in ten years." Laxus said, as Erza shot a warning glare at the two bickering men.

"We need to make a snowman and a snow hut, throw some snowballs, ride a sleigh, and…" Gray spouted off.

"Gray-sama are you okay?" Juvia asked, "Is Gray-sama having a snow withdrawal?"

"Why don't you take Snowman outside? We'll catch up." Gajeel said to Juvia.

"Okay!" Juvia said, latching onto Gray's arm and pulling him outside.

"He didn't struggle for once!" I giggled, "Gray must be really excited for the snow. Well, snow and ice are his magic element after all."

"Shall we follow them?" Erza asked.

"YEAH! LET'S GO!" Natsu yelled, "I'm all fired up!"

"Natsu! Wait for us!" Lucy yelled after him.

I smiled as I watched my friends hurry out into the court yard.

"I guess I'll go, too!" I said, smiling excitedly.

"Hold it, my elemental dragon princess." Laxus smirked, pulling me into his embrace.

He then grabbed his black scarf and wrapped it around my neck. It was warm and soft and smelled like him.

"What's this for?" I asked, smiling.

"I know how you are about the cold." He chuckled, and kissed my nose.

"Laxus… That's really sweet of you." I said, feeling my heart melt.

"Just wanted you to stay warm." He said.

…

"Kaera! Come on, hurry up!" Levy called out to me as I left the guild.

"Um… Don't you guys want go on jobs at all today?" I asked.

"We're taking today off!" Gray answered.

"Unless something big comes in, I want to play!" Natsu said.

"Yeah, I think this'll be a good break." Lucy agreed.

Just then, something cold hit the back of Levy's head.

"Eeek! That cold!" She yelped.

"Got you, gihi!" Gajeel snickered.

"Throwing snowballs at the girl you like… You've got grade school mentally, Gajeel." I teased.

"Wh-What are you talking about, Rainbow Glitter?!" Gajeel barked.

"Just because my Elemental Dragon Slaying magic is glittery doesn't mean you can nickname me that!" I pouted.

"At least yours is better than Bunny Girl…" Lucy sighed.

"Or Shrimp, Shorty, Short Stuff…" Levy grimaced, and shook her head making her short hair fly about. "…Ugh, my hair's all wet now!"

Levy scooped up some snow and threw it back at Gajeel. Soon a snowball war was going on.

"Got you!" Cana shouted, as a snowball collided with my face.

"GAHHH! COLD!" I shrieked.

Cana laughed and pelted more snow at me. I shrieked and giggled as I ran away.

"Gray help me!" I cried, as I ran away. "Get her back for me!"

But Gray was too busy building a snow castle.

"Busy…" He muttered.

"Whoa! That's pretty neat!" Lucy said, coming over to us.

"Gray-sama is the best at everything!" Juvia praised, with hearts in her eyes.

But Gray didn't reply to any of us.

"Guess he's really focused…" I said, laughing sheepishly.

"Gray-sama! Don't ignore Juvia! It makes Juvia sad!" Juvia wailed.

"Gah! Juvia, get off! I wanna finished this!" Gray choked as she wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"Hey, Kaera-san?" Wendy came up to me, holding Charla.

"Oh, hey, Wendy!" I smiled at the young Sky Dragon Slayer. "What's up?"

"Will you go ice skating with us?" She asked.

"No, wait!" Erza called over to us. "We should build a big snow fort instead!"

"Oh, I know! Let's build a snowman!" Lucy suggested.

"No way! Let's continue with the snow ball fight!" Natsu argued.

"No, we should go sledding!" Gray butted in.

"Juvia agrees with Gray-sama!" Juvia said.

"Gray, did you finish your snow castle?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's done." He shrugged.

I looked over and saw the most beautiful castle made of snow and ice I had ever seen.

"It's so beautiful, like a professional work of art!" I said, beaming.

"Stop getting off topic! I second that snowball fight!" Cana barked.

Suddenly everyone was again arguing about whose idea we should all do. I sneezed and staggered a bit.

' _Ugh… I feel worse than this morning…'_ I thought.

"Jeez, it's freezing out here…" I heard Laxus muttering from the guild doors.

I smiled and carefully headed over to him. He wrapped his arms around me.

"You're cold." He said bluntly, but didn't let go. "What are they arguing about now?"

"What activity we should all do together." I said, sighing and laughing at the same time.

"Eh. Why don't you come back inside and ask Mira to make you something warm to drink?" He asked.

"Sure, sounds good." I agreed, letting him guide me back into the guild.

…

"Ah, it so warm in here…" I sighed.

"Welcome back." Mirajane greeted, "You weren't out there for very long."

"Yeah, as much fun as I was having, I just couldn't keep up with everyone…" I said. "Oh, can I have a hot chocolate with a shot of brandy?"

Mira nodded, as I made my way to the bar.

"That's weird… Normally you have more energy than all of them combined." Bixslow said, as I sat between him and Laxus. "Are you feeling okay?"

He reached out to touch my forehead.

"I'm fine." I said, smacking his hand away. "Stop acting like such a dad."

"A dad?" He grumbled, "I'm your little brother, not our dad…"

"Sorry… I didn't mean it like that." I murmured, as Mirajane sat a mug of brandy hot chocolate in front of me. "Thanks, Mira."

"Snappier than usual. Maybe you are sick." Evergreen said.

"Are you sure you're alright, Kaera-sama?" Freed asked politely.

"I'm _fine_!" I huffed.

"Drink your hot chocolate then. It'll warm you up." Laxus said.

He reached out and stroked my head fondly.

"…Hmm?" He frowned.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Your head feels warm. Are you really sure you're okay?" Laxus asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." I said, trying to hide the fact that I actually felt a little dizzy at the moment.

"Alright then." He said. "But stay inside for a while, and if you feel like you want to go home, just let me know."

"Mmm, I will. Thanks, Laxus." I smiled warmly at him.

"Drink your hot chocolate before it gets cold." He said, nodding at the cup in my hands.

I smiled and took a sip.

' _Hmm? Did Mira make my cocoa differently? I can't taste it very well…'_ I frowned.

"What wrong?" Laxus asked, having been watching me.

"Nothing, I'm good!" I grinned, and took another sip for show.

' _Huh… Strange… Maybe my nose is stuffed from the sudden temperature change.'_ I shrugged.

Laxus frowned at me, but I just smiled brightly and took another drink.

"Kaera… I think you-" Laxus was cut off by the door slamming open and everyone coming back inside.

"It's warm in here! I feel alive again!" Levy exclaimed.

"It was freezing out there." Erza agreed.

"Oh, hey guys." I greeted.

"Hey, what are you drinking?" Cana asked.

"Hot chocolate with a shot of brandy." I said.

"Cold too much for you to handle?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, just a bit…" I forced a smile.

"Weak." Gajeel teased.

"What?! Why you-!" But before I could get up, Gajeel was zapped by Laxus.

"I thought you wanted to warm up?" Laxus asked.

I grumbled, but settled back down.

"I'm frozen to the bone…" Lucy whined. "Mira, can I get a mint hot chocolate?"

"Can I have a hot cider?" Wendy asked.

"I want my usual!" Cana grinned.

"Coming right up!" Mira said.

"Oh, I'll take a coffee with something alcoholic." Gray added.

"Juvia too!" Juvia chirped.

"I want a piece of strawberry cake and some rose tea." Erza said.

"Anything else?" Mira asked patiently.

"Fish/Fire whiskey!" Happy and Natsu shouted at the same time.

"Kiwi juice." Lily said.

"No, thank you. I'm good." Charla said.

"Same." Gajeel groaned from the floor.

"Kaera, you should see the snow fort we built." Erza said proudly, "It turned out really well."

"Is that what you all decided on together?" I asked.

"Erza more or less threatened us into it…" Gray sighed.

"But it was still fun!" Wendy added.

I giggled, before coughing. I cleared my throat and took a drink.

' _Sounds like they had so much fun… I wanna play a bit more, too…'_ I thought.

"I have everyone's drinks, food and some snacks here." Mira called from the nearest table to the bar.

"Yosh! Time to dig in!" Natsu whooped.

"Delicious as always." Erza praised, after taking a bite of her favorite cake.

"You really like strawberry cake, don't you?" Lucy asked.

"Of course!" Erza perked up.

"…As soon as they arrive, this place turns into a monkey house." Laxus sighed.

I laughed, "I think it's more cheerful and fun." I beamed.

"Well, it would be pretty scary if they all just sat there still and silent." Bixslow chucked.

"I can't really imagine that…" I said thoughtfully.

"Kaera-san, let's play outside again after we finish our snacks!" Wendy said.

"Oh, uh, sure…" I said, hesitating just a bit.

"Let's have another snowball battle!" Gray said.

"You're on, Icicle!" Gajeel grinned.

"I'll join in, too!" Cana shouted.

"Ha, no one's gonna beat me!" Natsu yelled, spewing flames from his mouth.

"Juvia, I'll make the snowballs and you can throw them." Gray said, "We'll be the perfect team!"

"Yes, Gray-sama!" Juvia agreed enthusiastically.

"Alright! I think I'm warmed up enough! Time to kick some ass! Gihi!" Gajeel smirked.

"We'll see you outside, Kae-chan!" Levy said, getting up.

"Okay." I nodded, hopping on my stool.

"…Maybe you should rest for a bit more." Laxus said suddenly.

"Huh?" I turned to look at him in confusion.

After a moment Laxus forced a smile.

"You might still be cold." He said.

"No, I think I've warmed up plenty." I smiled innocently.

"…Don't look so innocent." He sighed. "Go on, you're not going to let me stop you as I can see."

"Darn right!" I giggled. I touched his arm. "Hey, I'm fine. Really."

"Okay. Have fun, and come back in if you don't feel well." Laxus said, leaning over to kiss my forehead.

"I will, I promise!" I said, "See ya!"

"Hey! Wait a sec!" Laxus called after me.

"What's up?" I asked, going back to him.

"You forgot this." Laxus said, holding up the scarf.

"Oh, oops!" I giggled, "Thanks!"

"Promise me you'll pay attention to how you feel." He said, suddenly serious.

"…I-I will." I stammered.

' _Being this close to him is making my heart race…'_ I thought.

"I can wrap this differently, if you want?" He said.

"Okay. Can you wrap it so if keeps me warm?" I asked, smiling.

"Sure. Hold still." He said, "Can you lift up your hair?"

"Yeah." I bunched up my long hair.

Laxus then began to wrap the scarf around my neck and left both ends hanging down behind me.

"There." He whispered.

I buried my face deeper into the scarf to keep him from seeing my burning cheek.

He chuckled, "Cute." He murmured.

"Th-Thank you. See you later…" I mumbled, and hurried away.

"Take care." He called after me.

…

' _Ahh… I still feel my heart racing!'_ I thought nervously.

Laxus and I have been dating for a little over a year, but I still get nervous at how sweetly he treats me.

"His hands were so warm…" I murmured, already missing his touch.

' _Ach! No! Don't think about it… It's making me feel dizzy…'_ I thought as I started walking unsteadily. _'I should go find everyone…'_

"Kae-chan!" Lucy called, having spotted me.

"Over here!" Wendy added.

"Sorry it took me so long!" I said, "Wow, that's a big snow fortress!"

"Isn't it?" Erza boasted.

"Hey! I'm not your shield, Salamander!" Gajeel yelled.

"Sorry, but I said I wasn't going to lose!" Natsu grinned.

"I'll get you myself for that one!" Gajeel snapped.

"Cana, Juvia go around to the right!" Gray commanded.

"Got it!" Cana yelled.

"Take that!" Juvia shouted.

The two girls pelted Natsu with snow.

"Gah! I'll pay you back 100 times for that!" Natsu roared.

"They're having so much fun…" I said, smiling.

"Are you going to join the snowball fight, too?" Wendy asked.

I laughed and shook my head.

"Not this time." I said, "I'll just watch."

"We can hide in the snow fort." Lucy suggested.

"Sounds good to me." I said, and followed Erza, Lucy, Levy, Wendy and Charla. "Oh…"

Suddenly, I felt a wave of dizziness hit me.

' _What's…going on…?'_ I thought as I stopped in my tracks and held a hand to my head.

"Kaera-san?" Wendy called back to me looking concerned.

"I-It's nothing… Let's go inside!" I said, forcing a smile.

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked, "You look so pale…"

"Are you feeling okay?" Levy asked.

"Now that you mention it…" I murmured, "Someone catch me…?"

Not a moment later my legs gave out and I fell forward.

"Kaera!" I heard Erza shout my name in worry. "Wendy can you help her? Someone go get Laxus!"

' _I should have listened to Laxus and stayed inside…'_ I thought.

I heard the crunching of snow and then his voice before I faded.

"Kaera! Hang in there!"

…

"Mmm…" I moaned.

' _It's warm… Where am I?'_ I wondered weakly as I opened my eyes slowly.

"I'm home… In my room…" I murmured as I looked around.

' _I remember watching everyone playing in snow and then going to the snow fortress, and then…I felt really dizzy.'_ I thought, pulling the covers back. _'Huh? One of the girls must have changed me back into my pajamas.'_

"But…how did I get home?" I mumbled, as I started to get up and out of bed.

Just then Laxus entered my room and was at my side instantly.

"Nope. Stay in bed." He said seriously, as he pushed me back down and covered me up.

"Ah…Laxus?" I looked at him tiredly.

He frowned back sternly.

' _Oh… Is he upset?'_ I wondered.

"…Laxus?" I tried again.

He placed a hand on my forehead.

"…I think you still have a fever. Try to sleep a bit more." He said.

"…Okay…" I murmured.

"I'll talk to you later. Get some rest now." He said, tucking the blankets around me securely.

' _He tucked me in… I guess I'll ask him what happened later…'_ I thought drifting off again.

…

After a few hours of sleep I was feeling a little better and talking to Laxus.

"I was really shocked. I went out to check on you, and I ran into Cana who said you collapsed." Laxus said, "Then seeing you laying there so still and pale on the ground…"

"So it _was_ your voice I heard before I fainted." I said.

"Ever kept calling me a worrywart, but I'm glad I went." He sighed, "Most of the lot of them were stunned and panicking. Wendy healed you and said you should be better by tomorrow, but not to push it."

"Thank you, Laxus." I smiled at him.

Laxus only frowned though.

"Kaera, do you remember what I said before you left?" He asked.

I flinched, now understanding why he was upset with me.

"Yeah… You told me to pay attention to how I was feeling…" I mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

"Why didn't you come back inside sooner?" He asked, and gave me an accusing look. "You actually knew you weren't feeling well, but were trying to hide it, weren't you?"

"Yes… I'm sorry…" I said.

I snuck a peak at Laxus. He was still frowning.

' _He's really upset with me… What do I do…?'_ I thought.

"I'm glad I went when I did…" He muttered, sighing. "But I can't always be around to take care of you."

"I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry I put you through so much trouble… I didn't mean to…" I said, blinking back tears.

"…I just want you to remember that I'm here if you need me. I love you, and I want you to know you can come to me for anything." Laxus said, looking me in the eyes. "And I hate saying this, but I'm also responsible for you, since you're the Dragon Princess from the Prophecy. Those Dark Guilds are still out there looking for you."

"…Yeah." I murmured.

' _Right… We may be dating, but he's still my guardian…'_ I thought.

I had known that already, but somehow, remembering that stung my heart. I had let Laxus down.

Laxus sighed and got up, quietly leaving my room without another word.

' _He didn't say anymore… Maybe he thought I was being stubborn and acting like a fool…'_ I thought, finally letting the tears fall.

I pulled the covers over my head and rolled over, facing the wall.

"I…I don't know what to do now…" I sniffled.

' _Why am I even crying…?'_ I thought, angrily swiping at my tears. _'It's true I did something stupid…'_

I sniffled and let out a quiet sob.

' _What if he doesn't like me anymore?'_ I suddenly thought, feeling panicked, _'What if he gets Master Makarov to ask someone else to protect me?! No! I don't want that!'_

I cried harder, muffling my sobs with my pillow.

…

After a while, I had stopped crying and was now sitting up, just gloomily staring out my window at the night sky. Suddenly there was a knock at my door.

"…Y-Yes?" I asked, fearful of my thoughts becoming a reality.

' _Is he going to tell me to leave?'_ I wondered, _'I don't know if I could hold back my tears in front of him…'_

"I'm coming in…" He announced.

I stared at him, biting my lip in my nervous state. He smiled at me, holding up a couple of mugs, and my eyes widened.

"Here are you go." He said, passing me mine as he sat down against my pillows next to me and put his arm around me.

"…Hot chocolate?" I asked, peering down at the whipped cream and marshmallows that covered the warm liquid.

"Mm-hmm. With extra whipped cream and marshmallows. Just the way you like it." He said, "Try it."

I caught a glimpse of a smile as he sipped from his mug and wondered…

"Th-Thank you…" I murmured, taking a careful sip.

' _Oh! It's really good, but it tastes different from how he usually makes it.'_ I thought, letting the surprise show on my face.

Laxus chuckled, "Can you tell what's in it?" He asked.

"Um… Is it rum?" I questioned.

"Yup." He said, "Do you like it?"

"It tastes really different." I said, taking another sip.

"But, it's not bad, right?" He asked.

"Not at all." I smiled happily. "I like it!"

"I hope it'll perk you up." He said, pulling me closer to his side as he took a long sip of his.

' _He doesn't seem upset anymore…'_ I observed. _'He's smiling at me, and holding me close.'_

"…Thank you." I murmured.

"Yup." He said, and then looked down at me. "I'm sorry if I scared you earlier. But I knew you would understand if I was stern with you."

"I-I… I'm really sorry! You're not going to send me to someone else, are you?" I said, looking at him with wide eyes as I started to cry again.

Laxus looked surprised for a moment, before chuckling softly.

"Jeez, the things you come up with…" He muttered, "I know you're feeling bad about with happened, but I'm not going to send the woman I love away just because of that."

Laxus stroked my hair soothingly, and the warmth of his hand made me cry harder.

"Thank…*sob*…Mavis…! I'm…*hiccup*… so sorry…*sob*…" I cried.

"Shhh… Don't cry, love. I'm not mad anymore." He whispered.

"Mmm…" I sniffled, leaning against him.

"I love you." Laxus murmured over and over, catching my tears and wiping them away.

' _I don't care what anyone says about this man… He's a kind and loving person…'_ I thought, _'I'm such a dummy for doing something that caused him to be upset and worried…'_

I finally stopped crying and was just a sniffling mess.

"I'm sorry, too. I guess I was a bit too harsh." He said.

"N-No, it's not your fault… I'm the one who did something stupid…" I murmured.

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have been so hard on you." He said apologetically.

"…No, don't worry about it…" I shook my head.

"I said I feel responsible about you… But I really do care about you." Laxus said, pressing a kiss against my temple.

"Laxus…" I giggled.

"I just can't leave you alone, can I?" He murmured against my head. "Make sure you take good care of yourself."

"…Yeah, I promise I'll take care of myself." I agreed.

"Good." He said pressing a lingering kiss against my lips. "I'll leave you to rest then."

Laxus stood up and took my empty mug.

"I'll be in my room if you need me." He said.

"Okay…" I said, smiling.

He paused once he was at my door and looked back with a smirk.

"Do you think you can sleep alright, or do you want me to sleep next to you tonight?" He asked.

"Well… I _could_ use the company." I said, batting my eyes.

"Then I'll be right back." He said, leaving my room.

' _I'm glad he was smiling…'_ I thought, as I moved over and waited for Laxus to return. _'I'll have to take care of myself better so I don't worry him.'_

"That hot chocolate he made was really good." I said, feeling my eyelids grow heavy.

Moments later I felt him slip under the covers next to me. He pulled me into his arms and with a final goodnight kiss, we fell asleep.

…

"I feel great today!" I grinned, as I got ready.

' _I had such a good sleep last night that I feel much better!'_ I thought.

"I wonder if Laxus is already at the guild." I wondered, my face then turning red as I remember waking up in his arms this morning.

"I should thank him again for taking such good care of me." I said.

…

"Good morning!" I yelled as I walked into the guild.

Not many people were at the guild yet. But I spotted Laxus at the bar with Makarov, Mirajane and Kinana.

"Good morning, my dear. Are you feeling better?" Makarov asked, as I took a seat next to Laxus.

"Yeah, thanks to Laxus. He took great care of me last night." I said, "I feel so much better now!"

"Did he then?" Makarov grinned.

"Not what you're thinking, gramps…" Laxus growled. "Perverted old man…"

"Master, don't make me angry…" Mirajane warned.

"Ahem… Yes, well, it's good you're feeling better, Kaera." Makarov sweat dropped.

I just nodded sheepishly, realizing I should have reworded my sentence.

"Um… Anyways… Laxus, will you make that hot chocolate for me again sometime?" I asked.

"Sure. Anytime you want." He said.

"Yay! Thank you! I love you so much!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him.

"Heh. It's nice to see you smiling again, Kaera. It makes me feel like everything's always going to be okay." He said.

I blushed, leaning back to look him in the eyes.

"R-Really?" I asked, "No one's ever said that to me before."

I suddenly felt shy. Laxus grinned and pulled me onto his lap, nuzzling my neck between his scarf I borrowed again and my coat.

"That's because no one's paid more attention to you than I have." He purred.

My face exploded in red.

"T-True…" I murmured.

"Good, you wore a scarf today." He said, pulling back and tugged at the cloth.

"Yup!" I giggled.

"Let's see what this style looks like on you…" He said, unwinding the scarf from my neck.

"O-Okay." I stammered.

Laxus folded the scarf in half and wrapped it around the back of my neck. Then he tucked the ends into the loop and pulled a bit.

"There." He said, leaning back to admire his work. "Cute."

"Th-Thank you…" I murmured, feeling shy again. "You'll have to show me different styles sometime."

"Sure. Anytime you want." He said.

Then the doors burst open and the group from yesterday came in, instantly zeroing in on me.

"Kaera!"

"You're better!"

"Come play with us!"

I giggled, "Sure! I'll be right out!" I called.

I hopped down from Laxus' lap.

"Well, I'm off!" I said.

"Hold on!" Laxus said, grabbing me around the waist.

He leaned down and kissed me on the lips.

"Take care." He whispered. "I love you."

"I will." I murmured, smiling up at him. "I love you, too."

I then dashed outside into the snow after everyone, feeling loved and healthy.

 _ **FIN**_


End file.
